Skyway Stage 3 Remains Toll-free as Long as SMC Can Shoulder Costs

As long as San Miguel Corp. (SMC) can continue to shoulder the costs, the recently opened Stage 3 of the Skyway will remain free, according to the firm’s president Ramon Ang on Thursday.

“Hindi naman kami nagmamadali. Hangga’t kaya namin, kargahin po namin ‘yun,” (“We are not in a hurry. As long as we can, we should carry the cost,”) said Ang during a recent examination on the project.

Ang was present as public work officials conducted an inspection on the Nagtahan off-ramp, which is the latest exit to be made accessible on SMC’s Skyway Stage 3 project.

“Can you imagine? May pandemic tapos nagmamadali pa tayo magkolekta? Hindi ganun priority natin. Ang priority is to finish the project and cooperate for better service,” (There’s a pandemic and then a rush to collect toll? That’s not our priority. Our priority is to finish the project and cooperate for better service,”) Ang explained further.

Skyway Stage 3 is an 18-km elevated extension built and funded by SMC. It was first opened to the public on January 14, and zero toll collections have been made since motorists were granted access.

“Actually mahaba pisi natin. Matagal pa ito,” (“We still have a lot of funds. This will take time,”) Ang said when asked how long the company would be able to shoulder the costs.

The extension project is currently 97.86% complete, excluding the Nagtahan-Tomas Claudio Section or Section 2A. In March, the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) approved the provisional rates, which were lower compared to the proposed rates of SMC.

Provisional Rates for Class 1: 
• Buendia to Sta Mesa: P105
• Sta Mesa to Ramon Magsaysay: 30
• Ramon Magsaysay to NLEx Balintawak: P129
• Buendia to NLEx: P264

SMC-proposed Rates for Class 1:
• Buendia to Sta Mesa: P110
• Sta Mesa to Ramon Magsaysay: P31
• Ramon Magsaysay to NLEx Balintawak: P133
• Buendia to NLEx: P274

Source: ABS-CBN